9059

Chapter 1

7:30 AM

I felt a light vibration on my wrist telling me it was time to wake up. The same old routine. You wake up, you do the same thing you always do, and you go back to sleep. Nothing new, nothing exciting. Except that, today, I was getting my injection. Finally, my knowledge injection. I had been waiting and preparing myself for this moment for the past 16 years. Today was my birthday. Today was the day my life could finally change.

You see, thousands of years ago, a virus contaminated a planet they used to call Earth. Every living thing got killed or destroyed, except a few immune people who left on an enormous spaceship. That enormous spaceship is my home. The home I've always known. I don't know what it's like to live on a planet and I don't want to. It's the year 9059 and we've been wandering in space for as long as THEY can remember. The Superiors, they're immortal, they're brilliant, they're everywhere.

My feet slowly touched the cold floor of my normal bedroom. Every room is the same. Every apartment is the same. No differences are allowed, only, simply, harmony all around us and the same old message on all our televisions.

"Good morning. It's time to wake up!"

"We hope you're going to have a wonderful day!"

"Take care."

"Your Superiors"

What this all meant was, get your lazy a** moving. Take your stupid meal pill. Go to work and try to enjoy your day. Key word being TRY.

But today, I couldn't complain. I was getting my knowledge injection, and I wouldn't want my bracelet to stop working in the middle of the process. As I made my way to the small and all-white bathroom, I couldn't help but think about the whole process of the day. THEY have prepared us for this our whole life. Everything had to be perfect. Security would be at its maximum for today. They couldn't allow any mistakes. All 16-year-olds would make their way to the injection room and get the injection the Superiors chose for them when they were born, depending on the place of their parents in the hierarchy... Well, more depending on the amount of money they had. My parents were pretty rich if I can say it like that and it assured my place in the system. Today, I was going to become closer to being a doctor, which is what THEY chose for me when I was born, and I never really had a problem with that.

"Aidan, remember you are lucky to be in that position."

"We assured your future son."

My parents always repeated these sentences to me and that's how I knew how important it was to be influential in society. The Superiors ensured the best for everyone, and they always did the right thing, that's why I never really felt the need to argue or be angry at their decision as some people did. They were called the inferiors, for obvious reasons. They always caused chaos wherever they went and I kind of despised them. I certainly didn't want them to destroy my "big" day and I think the Superiors didn't want that too. Hence the large amount of security.

8:00 AM

I take my morning pill like always at 8 AM, not one minute more, not one minute less. My bracelet buzzes once again reminding me that my injection is due in 1 hour. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited about this new step in my life, but I can't help but feel a little anxious. We all know what they do when the injection doesn't work... Or do we? It could be worse than we think, but why wouldn't mine work? After all, my parents paid a high amount, so that everything would go smoothly. There's not even a 0,0001% chance of it not working so I shouldn't stress too much about it. It's not like my friends Ayla and Sky, whose parents couldn't afford an injection like mine, they have a 1% chance of the knowledge not entering their brain correctly after the injection. What happens to those like I said, is something nobody really knows, and I hope Ayla and Sky are going to be safe.

8:15 AM

There's a knock on my door.

"Come in" I yell just as I see two silhouettes standing in the doorway.

Yelena and Xaver.

My parents.

All in white, as usual. We can merely see them because of the "whiteness" of the apartment. When you hit the big "15", THEY send you alone in an apartment to prepare you for a different life. The life that comes after the knowledge injection, so that's why I don't live with my parents anymore.

"Son", my dad says in his rusty voice.

"It's your big day", he continues.

"And we're proud of you for getting this far." My mother says, even though I don't really know what she's talking about considering, I've had everything handed out to me since I was born.

And just like that, they left. Leaving me alone with my thoughts, my worries, and everything else in my small white apartment. I sit down on my bed and zone out as they close the door. I suddenly feel a wave of adrenaline rushing through my body and immediately feel tired after.

I lay down on my bed and softly close my eyes.

8:55 AM

I wake up to my bracelet buzzing alarmingly. F*ck. It's 8:55 and my injection is in five minutes. I should already be there. Why didn't anybody come to check on me?

I quickly put my white suit on, but the white tie would be a "no" for today. I don't have enough time. I run out of my room in a hurry.

9:00 AM

The ceremony begins. Everything is going to be perfect. Even though I look like I just got out of bed, which is the case, I made it to the common room in time for the ceremony and I am standing right next to Ayla.

"Are you scared?" I whisper in her ear.

"Never, you?" She whispers back showing no emotions at all.

I've known Ayla since, well, I don't even remember since when. She's always been a strong and independent woman, never letting anybody see her cry, except maybe her brother, Sky. I couldn't really say which one of the twins I was closer to, but I loved them both as if they were my siblings. I watched Ayla with more attention as our national anthem filled the air around us. Her cocoa skin shined under the bright lights in the room and her golden eyes were looking adventurously at the stage where a small and weird-looking man was talking. I don't know what he was saying, I wasn't really paying attention to him. Sky and Ayla, on the other hand, seemed mesmerized by his words, like they were in a sort of trance. I looked at Sky after. He was standing there, strong, and tall. He had always been taller than me. I looked like an ant when I was standing close to him. Having black hair and blue piercing eyes was what made me stand out from the white decorum of the common room was in because my skin was nearly as white as snow. Ok, I was clearly exaggerating, but that's how I felt.

I suddenly felt a wave of movement, and everybody was moving, so I made my way behind Sky and Ayla and followed them, having clearly no idea where I was going.

"Where are we going?" I whispered to Sky.

"Quiet!" A guard shouted even though I was being as quiet as I could.

"To the injection, man, didn't you listen?" Sky replied rapidly, afraid of getting caught.

This was it. This was the moment I was finally going to become someone.

9:30 AM

I have parted ways with the others.

I'm in a small room. All white again. The only people who are allowed to wear other colors than white or grey are the Superiors and their helpers. The Superiors wear purple because it represents nobility, royalty, power, luxury, and on top of it all ambition. Their helpers are red robots. I don't really know why maybe because it's the same color as blood and they use it to hide the blood of their victims. Ha. I'm kidding, of course, they would never do that.

A "red" man approaches me.

"Aidan. Aidan Kozlov."

"Present, sire," I said laughing to ease the tense atmosphere. Mmmh, Doctor Kozlov is going to sound great.

And then everything suddenly goes black. No white anymore, only black all around me.